The Pillar of Autumn
Looming Bundle of Doom "Haki?" a young Veno pondered, sitting about a lone tree stump situated about a forest. "Aye, Haki. It's what makes the job for carpenters like us much easier," barked Bernard, "pay close attention now; as you should know by now, I dislike having to repeat myself." Taking in a deep breath, the large grizzly wolf mink stood motionless, focusing his energies toward enhancing his perception. His eyes turned red, and after a brief twitch of his lids, he turned his head in the direction of the forest. "There. I've found just the right one." Though confused beyond belief, Veno opted to follow the wolf nonetheless. Much to his surprise, Bernard had led him to an oak; one which was noticeably smaller than the others around. "This is it," Bernard explained, touching his hand to the bark, "all living things, even trees such as this one possess haki. With a little training, you'll be able to pick the good ones from the bad." "What's so good about this one?" "You won't be able to tell just yet for yourself, but this tree has a certain energy emanating from within. It may look smaller than the others, and perhaps to you much less worthy of constructing a hull with; but in actuality, it's far more durable than the others." Bernard proceeded to chopping his arm through the other trees, causing them to fall over. When he applied the same to the smaller oak, it managed but a simple cut. "See?" Veno was at a loss for words. "We'll take this one back with us." Coating the bulk of his right arm with haki, Bernard offered more force into his swing, enabling him to sever the oak from the ground. --- With his hand shaped into an axe, Veno ran it through a tree, severing it cleanly from the beach. He began to carve and shape the log into a plank immediately afterward. The Nimbus was docked upon the coast of an unnamed island; the Veno Pirates had made an abrupt stop to gather resources, namely in the form of food. While the other members of the crew were out doing their thing, it was Veno's responsibility as the crew's shipwright to ensure that the Nimbus was in tiptop form, especially after all the damage she had sustained in recent battles. Still, most would have considered the amount of work he had achieved in the past hour quite worthy of praise, given he was the only one working on the ship. Taking the planks under his arm, Veno walked them over to a pile he had been working on, when suddenly, he broke into a series of coughs. Unable to withstand them, he turned his head in the opposite direction, so that the blood spewing from his throat would fail to reach the wood. Instead, it fell in large sums into the sand. Although Yosef was not doing any particular work on the ship, he was organizing his recently purchased supplies following his trip to Silk Bay. However, he had heard a severe coughing noise from closer to the ship, leading him to quickly approach the source of the sound with herbs in hand. Much to his surprise, Veno was the source of the noise. Taking a brief look before approaching him further, he noted that blood was spilled on the sand. It was undoubted this was a severe case. "Veno!" Yosef shouted, irrespective of the supposed hierarchy he was meant to follow. "You're in a terrible condition. Lie down immediately, I need to diagnose you and prevent these symptoms from getting worse!" "Oi, piss off, Doc. I got work ta do," Veno coughed, spitting more blood into the sand. Shaking it off, he went to walk off, yet something within his chest gave way and he found himself falling onto his knees. Admitting defeat, the Public Enemy sat with his arse to the sand, rummaging a thick cigar to his mouth and lightning it with the flicker of his thumb and index finger, which provided him with ample enough a flame to spew smoke from. "Fuckin' 'ell, alright fine, just make this quick." He relished the sweet flavor of tobacco as it traversed his senses. Promptly removing the tobacco from his mouth, he sighed. "I can't have you interrupting my diagnosis with tobacco." He placed his palms around Veno's lungs, pressing downwards. He noticed that Veno reacted with pain. Combined with his coughing, and the blood being released from said coughing, he could only come to one conclusion. "Veno, while I cannot confirm it as of yet, I believe you possess Lung cancer." Yosef said with a grim tone. "Cancer?" Veno repeated, attempting to make reason out of the words. But he simply couldn't get himself to care. Not now, at least. "Fuck that, I don't got the time to worry about somethin' like that." Wiping the trace of blood from his lip, Veno stood up, lacing another cigar to his mouth like nothing had ever happened. And off to work on the Nimbus he went. "V-Ve...No, nevermind." Yosef sighed, he knew that despite his words Veno wouldn't listen. He was too far in this dangerous game to buck out now. The problem was something else. Though he wouldn't dare speak it to anyone. The Pillar of Autumn A man took a deep breath, followed by a yawn, rubbing his eyes in a struggle to keep himself awake. His bait stayed in the waters of an enormous pond, as he adjusted his placement on the seat, lazily placing the fishing rod on his lap and holding it with little effort with his hand. And when he least expected it, the bait was a success! A fish had taken a bite, and began dragging the bait down with it, and the entire rod with it, sinking it into the pond. "M-...My bait! My rod!" The man screamed, panicking as he saw his fishing rod slowly sink deeper, and so he quickly jumped after it, hoping to retrieve his fishing rod and get the fish, even if it means doing so bare-handed. In the meantime, the people passing by only took a second glance at him, before continuing on their way, choosing to ignore the man as he rose back up from the pond, drenched from top to bottom, gasping for air after being underwater for approximately five minutes, getting back his fishing rod, but also returning with the dreaded fish who dragged it down, carrying the dog-sized fish with menacing fangs on his shoulder, as it continued moving, attempting to escape "Phew..." The man let out a sigh of relief, applying pressure with his arm around the fish's neck, shattering its spine and killing it, placing it on the ground, removing his top and squeezing the water out of him, revealing a row of vicious scars on his back and chest, looking akin to claws, but also very old, atleast a decade so. The man, Alfred Alvar, put his shirt back on, and carried the fish with his equipment back home, successfully catching another meal. He passed through the streets, the houses almost identical in the neighborhood, with only subtle differences between one another, but Alvar found his residence with ease, identifying it by the worn out door's damages, seeming as if it was repaired hastily, but was more than enough. "Dear, you jumped in the pond again?" A woman, Millia, asked her husband, making it clear this was a recurring event. "They always go for the bait when I let my guard down, I can't do anything about it!" Alvar replied, attempting to justify his actions "But don't worry, this one was wanted for eating all the smaller fish! Apparantly it snuck somehow from the ocean. I'll get a nice price for it.". Millia sighed "One of those days you're going to lose your arm, I swear...". "That only means more excuses to get pampered!" Alvar said, sporting a proud grin, as if his own laziness was a source of inspiration for himself. But it was ironic, he refused to join his father in the Marines, and even refused an entire life of fighting, reducing himself to simply taking any task available on the Tariland Island, becoming essentially everyone's errand boy, and still, he kept and valued what his father taught him and finds himself getting into physical confrontation, be it with people or beasts. "Dad's home!" A child cried out, running from inside the house, followed by his younger sister, running and wrapping the arms around their father's legs, despite his pants still being wet "What did you get today?" The boy enthusiastically asked his father. "Well, Jacky, I punched a sea beast today." Alvar proudly told his son of his ventures, showing off his catch "Look, it's teeth are like knives!". And finally, an old dog exited the house, walking up to Alvar and resting down near him. The canine, being of a breed resembling wolves, was missing its right eye and ear, as if some attack simultaneously took both out, in addition to a limp in its front, right leg, forcing the dog to walk slowly. "Ah, how are you today, boy?" Alvar said to his pet, giving it the attention it wanted and petting it on the head "Good job guarding the place again.". And that was when the warning bell within the center of town suddenly began to chime. "It's them!" "The Public Enemy is coming!" "We're doomed!" Chaos erupted. What was once a closely knit community became a free-for-all, all within a matter of seconds. Men and women ran every which way, seeking shelter under the insanity of the pressure. Pushing commenced; children were left behind, homes made instantly vacant. But they quickly realized their efforts were in vain --for the sighting of the Veno Pirates' jolly roger grew nearer by the second. All hope was lost. Deranged decisions were taken, the likes of which could not be judged by those whom were not present within the center of the mayhem. Suicide became the most profound alternative to happiness; many a civilian took the life of a loved one for their own betterment. "A quick death is most favorable!" a man screeched, his sobbing nearing the uncontrollable, "compared to what that man'll do to you, it's the better option!" Time playing against him, the man chased around his own son, slitting him by the throat before putting the blade to his own neck. With a single glance toward the sky, he took the final course of action of his life. Aboard the Nimbus, the emerald mane of the tyrant who beckoned by the notoriety of the "Public Enemy" flocked with the ensuing breeze. Den Den Mushi in hand, Veno gazed toward the island before him with golden eyes. Eyes that were still, eyes that held within them no mercy. "She's in sight-" he exclaimed, before his words were cut off by a devilish cough, "d-don't nobody else git off 'round 'ere. Ye ain't needed!" In a manner of speech only his crewmates would comprehend, Veno expressed his intent on stepping foot upon the island alone. Alvar himself was overcome with intense fear and dread at the news "Millia, take the kids and hide in the bunker!". "You're not honestly going to fight them are you?!". "Of course not! I'm distraction." Alvar said "There's nothing valuable on this island of ours. Even if they stole all our belonging and money, it'll be nothing compared to grander places. Especially for the likes of them. They're here for me, I'm sure of it.". "Oh, no..." Millia said, realizing what he meant "It's all your father's fault...". "We aren't discussing this further!" Alvar said "Go, now!" He yelled, making his point clear, grabbing the deadly fish he caught and equipment "Take care of 'em, boy." Alvar said to his dog, who could only yell out a whimper in response, before Alvar dashed away, and his family hid beneath the house, in a steel bunker, hidden behind the wall of their basement, where they would hopefully remain safe. As the bottom of his boot met with the soft soil of the island, Veno was met instantaneously by cannon fire. Multiple rounds of it, arranged in a never ending chain of explosions that sounded off one after the other. Yet as the smoke slowly dissipated, the silhouette of his large frame was still visible, his every step causing the very earth beneath to tremble in fear. Smoke from his cigar streamed out from his mouth, and he plainly admired his opposers with tired, golden eyes. He caught the next round of cannon fire with his chest, putting on display the fact that it essentially had no effect on him. Stopping as he neared the center of town, he caught a cannon ball with his bare hand and held it there for several seconds. "I'm lookin' fer a man by the name of Glave," he chimed, throwing his arm back, "Glave Alvar." Veno hurled the ball toward a house in the distance, watching as an explosion sounded off and caused it to topple over, forcing many civilians to scurry and flee as a result. "Bringem' 'ere to me now and I'll spare the rest of ya! Drag one of yer own to me and I promise I won't even bother touchin' any of ya!" "G-...Glave?" The people began to whisper amongst themselves. They haven't heard that name in years, even from Alvar himself, but they knew what Veno wanted. "He wants Alfred Alvar! The son of Glave!" One of the citizens shouted "If we bring him, they'll let us live!" Soon the people riled up, agreeing on sacrificing Alvar for the sake of everyone's lives. "Where's Alvar?!" The people began yelling, frantically looking around for Alvar, their voices and fears growing as they could not find him. "I'm here!" However, they all stopped at once, looking over as the man chose to reveal himself, walking among the people as they cleared a path for him, panting from the panicked run he gave to reach the pirates' location "You...want me don't you? Well, here I am! But, if it's my father, then I'm sorry to tell you, he's not here, so you can leave if that's the case!" He shouted, and despite his stern look, his body sweat and shivered, showing he wasn't completely composed. Veno looked plainly as his target revealed himself out in the open. He hadn't expected it to be so easy, to say the least. Hell, he expected much more of a fight; thinking about all the buildings he was prepared to crush, all the lives he was willing to take... the sheer thought made him feel somehow cheated. "What the fuck?" he finally said aloud, "yer just gonna show yerself to me like that, huh? Where's the fun in that?" He walked forward, until he stood before Alvar and so that he was consumed by his shadow. Looking down at him, he went to touch Alvar's chin as if he were a little boy, and tilt it to examine his face. "How the fuck am I supposed to know yer really the one I'm after, eh?" Alvar's eyes widened in shock, realizing Veno had a point "I-...I..." Alvar quickly tried thinking of some kind of evidence to show this man, otherwise the island and everyone would still be in trouble, if not worse. However, in a blink, Alvar vanished "Soru!" He declared, using one of the Rokushiki techniques, the only one he succeeded with when trained by his father using it to get behind Veno. Still holding the fish in his hand, quickly dug his hand into the fish's head, rummaging through its insides, pulling out the fish's skull, and using his hand, openned its gaping maw, intending on using the knife-like fangs of the fish on Veno. The fish's teeth can easily make their way through human flesh, so he could hope to cause significant damage to Veno with this one flanking move. Without a hint of hesitation on his behalf, Veno took on Alvar's improvised attack and though the teeth of the fish made contact with his arm, his flesh remained very much intact, without a single trace of damage being visible. Had the man not witnessed his resistance to cannon fire from earlier before? Compared to that, this was nothing. Going to grab Alvar by his head, the large man that was Veno went to raise him high into the air before proceeding to walk again. "Someone show me where this guy lives," he spat, "I want to meet his folks. "And if yer already out here," he said, turning to the crowd of spectators to see which of them bore resemblance to Alvar, "then come out now before I get angry." "N-...No!" Alvar cried out, trying to resist Veno's vice grip, gritting his teeth. He closed his hand into a fist, and outstretching his index finger "Shigan!" Alvar cried out, attempting to employ one of the Rokushiki techniques he could never quite grasp, but it proved futile, only breaking his finger against the man's skin "Gah...!" He cried out in pain. "Y-...Yes, we'll show you his residence!" One of the citizens responded to Veno "Just please, spare the rest!". The citizens lead Veno and his crew to the house "T-...There is a chance he...he is no longer married however." A citizen hesitantly said "He is always alone after all..." It was as if they had regretted their choice, but were too late for second thoughts. "The house with the damaged door. That's...that's the one...". "A chance he isn't married no more?" Veno didn't like being lied to. Clearly, he could sense and even see the aura of a woman and a boy hiding within the bunker through his usage of Kenbunshoku Haki. Playing to his anger, he cut down the very man who had led him to the house in cold blood. "Ye did well showin' me to this place. But then ye fucked it all up." He coughed suddenly, blood spewing from the side of his lip. Spitting a wallop to the floor, he tossed Alvar down on top of it. "I know they're here. Go get 'em, and bring 'em here." "He...has Haki...? He could tell?!" Alvar thought to himself, standing up, and forcefully relocated his broken finger in place, staring down Veno "Why should I? Just kill me! You want me! You don't need...If it's because of something my father did, then fine!" He yelled, trying to atleast take the brunt of Veno's wrath and save his family from such any horrible fate. "Either you bring 'em," he spat, pausing suddenly, "or I'' bring 'em." Veno coughed again, his hand tending to his left ribcage. "What's it gonna be?" Sweat ran down Alvar's brow, gulping before coming to a conclusion "F-...Fine..." Alvar reluctantly agreed, walking into his house "''I can't...beat him...My father left a Den Den Mushi for us! But he's never picked up...Maybe today, when we most need him, he'll answer...?" Alvar thought to himself. On the way to getting his family, he grabbed a Den Den Mushi, one that had an injured eye, and was grey in color. The Den Den Mushi he hasn't touched in years, the one his father gave him, but he never answered. "H-...Here..." Alvar's body shook all over, answering to Veno. His family huddled together in fear, while their pet dog simply stood infront of them, as if trying to act as a shield. Veno studied the dog hard for a moment; it oddly reminded him of his past, something he longed to forget. Raising his foot, he sent the dog hurdling through the walls of the house and into the outside world with a powerful kick. Disgusting mutt. Though it bore resemblance to a wolf in some small form, Veno wasn't the type to be so easily deceived. On the subject, he found Alvar's latest antics to be incredibly disrespectful, if not blasphemous in their entirety. "Do ye take me for an idiot?" he spat, bringing his body to hover over Alvar and his family, "that fuckin' snail in yer pocket, do ye think I don't know about it?!" He brought his foot to stomp hard against the wood of the floor, causing it to wither away under the might. Veno had been taught to separate whole trees by their quality amongst entire forests; to tell a man from a snail was of no challenge to his skill in Haki. Flipping on his own Den Den Mushi, Veno began to live stream whatever it was he was seeing to the world, such was the power that had been afforded to him by the Celestial Dragons themselves. In every major facet of the world --Sabaody Archipelago, Mariejois, Fishman Island-- Veno's stream took priority, replacing all screens with its footage. "Welcome back to another show," Veno spat, staring the Den Den Mushi in the eye so that his mug overtook the various screens across the world, "in today's episode, we'll be featurin' Kairō's beloved son! "Why don't ye say 'ello to the camera?" He shoved the Den Den Mushi in the way of Alvar and his family. "Lookie 'ere, he brought me his wife and kid too! Ereyone say 'ello, come on now!" Seeing as though there was no reaction from the family to his command, Veno took his anger out on the child. "I said say 'ello!" He brought his foot to stop against the little boy's skull, many a times until he grew a third nostril in between the ones nature had allowed him and until the entire top row of his teeth sprawled onto the floor. "As you can see," he continued, informing the world at large, "Admiral Glave's got a real fucker for a grandchild. I feel for the lad, really, I do." He turned his attention toward Alvar's wife, next. "And this whore... what the fuck should I do to her?" He took his cigar from his mouth, blowing a long and hard puff of smoke until the tinge in his lungs forced him into a flurry of coughs. "Yer watchin', ain't ye, Glave-sama? Yous got somethin' that I want, but I didn't know of any other way of reachin' ya!" Veno proceeded to sticking the flaring half of his cigar into the eye of Alvar's wife, ensuring that the Den Den Mushi had a proper angle so that the entire world could be treated to proper entertainment. "Glave-sama, where are youuu~?" he chimed sarcastically, "yer family needs ye! I'' need ye! "Grababababababa!" In the far reaches of Marineford, the base of the Marines, the Admiral known as Alfred Glave sat in his lonesome, killing time by reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, having no major duties at the moment. However, this silence and peace was quickly interrupted when a Marine barged into the room "G-...Glave-sama! Admiral Glave-sama!" The Marine shouted, sweating, as if he had ran a marathon "You must...the broadcast of the Den Den Mushi!". "Calm down, what is the matter?" Glave asked, neatly folding the newspaper and placing it on the table as he stood up. "Y-...You're family...!" Upon hearing the Marine, Glave quickly rushed outside, going to see what the commotion was about. And there it was, a live broadcast of Glave's son and his family, held captive by the Pirate Captain Veno, and with two of his family members already in pain. Glave's expression quickly shifted to shock and horror, before quickly turning to the Marines around him "Prepare a ship to the island!". "Glave-sama...?" One of the Marines said, still in shock at the events. "A ship, to my home island, this. Instant!" He shouted, and the Admiral lost his cool in the first time in years, in decades. However, he quickly breathed out, calming himself. Back at the island, Alvar himself gritted his death, but was too overwhelmed by fear in this situation, simply staring at the towering Veno "What...What did my father possibly do to you...?" He asked Veno, his whole body shaking, but trying to maintain a stern position and look. "Nay, the more appropriate question is what he did to ''you," Veno plainly retorted, a smug grin playing on his lip, "and the answer to that, is... "Well, yer seein' it for yerself now, aren't ye? By workin' his ass off n' becomin' a damn admiral in the navy, he became an enemy to all pirates across the seven seas; he ain't done nothin' to me personally. But then again, he don't need to. "Yer old man has somethin' I'd like to take for me self, and I don't know any other way of goin' about gettin' his attention. So I figured, why not kill the guy's son, eh? Then, he'd come after me for sure, right?" Veno shook his head appraisingly. "And some guys got the nerve to call me an idiot! I got ereything all planned out, I tell ye. Ereything." *** The nation of promise once revered as Tariland was in complete and utter ruin. Not a single building in sight was left intact; not a single specimen of life was left breathing. A steady cloud of dust overlapped where the proud town had once been, looming over like a residue of lost hope. A lone shadow appeared suddenly on the tattered ground, growing larger by the second. Descending from what appeared to be the heavens themselves, it rounded out into a spherical shape, until offering its services as a platform for a darkened silhouette, which itself took the form of an animalistic entity. Contracting into the shape of a human, upon traversing away from the ensuing fog, its figure was made much more evident, though there were no survivors left to awe in the face of such a charming visage. Draped from head to toe in the traditional black suited attire of a CP9 agent, stood tall and proud a man who was recognized by the World Government by the name of Roo Jackson. Snail phone in hand, he loitered about the devastated terrain for a moment longer before reporting back to his higher and more respected authorities. "Everything here is in ruin," he explained bluntly, "I'm not able to sense a single living organism. Everything is completely dead." Receiving word to continue his investigation of the area, Jackson stayed back, beginning his search for anything of interest. Breaking Dawn A draft came through the open window of an office that was empty, the only soul was that of the admiral that occupied the office; Admiral Warren D. Ralph. Although empty, the presence of Ralph filled the room like smoke in a building. Anyone who came to see the admiral knew exactly where he was even if it was their first time setting foot on office building Ralph was in. On the desk to his right was nothing but a stack of files that he had finished filling out. On the files was Ralph's signature of recommendation for thousands of marines to be promoted to their next rank. Ralph was finishing up on this work when he decided to take a small break. Reaching over to the left of him to grab a piece of meat prepared specially for him. Chomping down on the hunk of meat, Ralph leaned back in his chair and propped his legs up on the edge of his desk with his other hand behind his head. Taking a deep breath Ralph stared at the ceiling of his office with a slight smirk on his face. Then another draft came through his window, more like the gust of the wind traveling behind something. Ralph's slight smirk turned into a frown as his eyes diverted. Standing with his feet planted on the ground floor and his face creeping through the window of Ralph's office --which of course was several stories high-- was the man who received word from the likes of the Gorosei under the alias of the "Maverick". Reaching into his coat pocket, he unveiled a newly appointed bounty poster, one which featured an emerald haired convict that Ralph knew oh-too well. "I take it this is the first you've heard about it, meep?" With aid of his long limbs, Merchant brought the bounty poster inches away from the admiral's face without budging from his earlier position. Numbers indicated Veno's updated value of capture: 405,000,000. "He's eclipsed the 400-mark, meep. I can't help but think this is your doing. If you hadn't allowed him to live... thousands more would still be alive right this moment, meep!" The bounty poster crumpled under Merchant's tightened fist. "The Gorosei are furious with your lack of proper service as of late. From this moment on, you are to take the blame for every one of Public Enemy's endeavors. Your position is in jeopardy; do you understand that, meep?" Easing his own temper, the Maverick laid down the poster onto Ralph's desk and retrieved his hand to rest inside of his trouser pocket. His goggles caught Ralph's reflection within them. "You underestimated him. The comfort you felt in your being an admiral may ultimately be your downfall, meep. You plainly underestimated him. "Yes, by consideration of piracy, the Public Enemy is but a Rookie. But not to these seas; nay, meep. He has over two decades of experience as a privateer under the service of Wrusha." He paused a moment. "Do not underestimate Cipher Pol's information gathering capabilities. I was there that day... the day that man became a Pirate." ---- One Year Ago Veno, the famed privateer, stood before the entrance of a renown tavern within the country of Wrusha, and one of the largest scrapers on the entire island. To such an extent, it was one of the first sights witnessed by coming sailors. Cigar in mouth, he awaited the arrival of the casino owner, who came to him clad in fashionable attire. "Yes, may I help you?" the man questioned, taking on a tone that suggested he had never met Veno prior. His expression was what angered Veno the most. "The fuck's with the act, huh? Don't ferget I was the one who built this goddamn place for ye in the first place. And ye still ain't paid me for it neither." "Yes, I'm still working on that, Veno. So if you'll just be a bit more patient-" "Cut the bullshit! Don't stand before me dressed in stars and tell me you ain't got the money when there's hundreds who visit that damn casino erey day!" He grumbled. He snickered. He roared. "I want my fuckin' money. Now." There was a long silence. "Please, if you'll give me just another week... I promise, I'll have your money then. I... I truly am greatful for how you built this for me, really, I am, it's just..-" There was no further need for words. Veno was already on the move. He approached the tower, which easily climbed into the skies, and put his hand against its surface. He felt the smooth texture of the bricks he had used, and identified a single brick --one specifically which held greater responsibility than all the rest. He plucked it from the tower with his brute strength, and in a matter of seconds, the entire foundation of the casino crumbled, collapsing entirely after a mere lone brick had been extracted from its blueprint. The casino's owner watched with horror. "Nooo! I... I was just about to pay you!!" Veno tugged the man by his collar and hurled him into the air, sending him flying many a ways. The man kept soaring until he was lost into the blue masses of the sky. "Oi, Veno," a voice chirped from yonder, belonging to a fellow crew mate of Veno's, "was all that really... nevermind. The captain wanted to see you. He's waiting over by the docks." *** When Veno arrived, his captain drew a long expression. "Take a seat, lad. There's something I need to tell you." Veno plainly took his seat. Words surfaced to his ears. His eyes widened. "Our nation has been bought out; our entire island, as a matter of fact. Now, to the rest of us, that'll make little to no difference. We'll remain privateers, eh? But, I do feel the need to tell you..." Veno sat still. He could feel the blood within his veins begin to boil. "Given your past... there's no easy way to say this..." "Just tell me, cap'n', who bought us out?" The captain swallowed. "It was one of the Celestial Dragons." Veno stood from his seat. ---- Looking dead at the face of the Cipher Pol agent, Ralph glared into the eyes of Merchant knowing all to well of the reputation of the man in front of him. Ralph knew of Veno's bounty already, he knew that it had grown immensely in the one month time frame since their encounter however Ralph felt that he wasn't fully at fault for the handling of Veno. "I didn't allow him to live, he simply escaped my attack. Last time I remember giant balls of Haki coated water were dropping on him and his crews head like a goddamn flock of birds shitting on a deck." Ralph's teeth were locked tight as he uttered that sentence to Merchant getting just as angry because of the Gorosei's antics as to who was responsible for Veno's escape. "Maybe I did underestimate him. Or did I? If you had giant balls of Haki dropping on you I doubt come out unscathed which means someone somehow saved them after they were dropped on their head." Ralph said taking another bite of his meat without so much as moving his glare at Merchant. "That damn nipple-sucker got lucky. He simply escaped like numerous of other pirates have. If you wanna pin me up against the wall because I've let pirates go in the past then go pin the Fleet Admiral up first because he's let plenty go in the past as well. And the Gorosei make my left ass cheek itch. If they know about me and how I handle things as an Admiral why not just send someone like you to handle the nipple-sucker? If I'm not mistaken isn't it your Cipher Pol organization that handles the care of World Nobles. You're just as responsible as you say I am." "Nay, meep," Merchant chimed, "if only you'd allow me to finish telling my story, you'd have known that it was none other than myself who captured him previously." He took a long pause, his eyes creeping around the office. "Do not compare your shortcomings to the nature of my work. You laud glory through your face and sit here dining while your obligations remain stiff. I've merely been told to inform you of the dangers that befall a man of your character. Take your work more seriously, Ralph! "As they say, Kairō has extracted a personal vendetta against this man. He has sheered your responsibility from you, and will likely meet Public Enemy in battle in coming days. What is to happen from there, only time will tell. "Nevertheless, meep, do not consider yourself exempt from fault. For the next mission you fail may very well be your last as Admiral." ---- One Year Ago The shadow of an enormous vessel in the distance consumed the better part of Wrusha, leaving all but one to ponder in awe. His emerald mane blitzing with the wind, Veno the privateer stood upon the waters between the ship and the island, awaiting the arrival of the ship. "S-Sir! There's... a man standing on the surface of the ocean between us and the island!" The lookout jousted, telescope in hand. Menu Merchant, clad in the vanilla attire of his fellow CP0 brethren, whose head was equivalent to that of the crow's nest, merely hummed. "I can see that, meep. Charge forth." Contracting the orders given to him, the man responsible for piloting the ship simply proceeded forth. But as the ship pressed on, Veno placed forth his hands, stopping it in its place. "We've been stopped!" Merchant remained ever poised. "I can see that, meep." With regard to his towering range of vision, Merchant peered down at the waters, examining the green haired monstrosity who stood in their way. "What is your objective, meep? What do you achieve from doing all of this?" Returning the Maverick's averted gaze with a look of anger, Veno clawed his fingers through the hull of the ship. "I won't let no fuckin' World Noble step foot onto this island ever again!" Merchant narrowed his brow. "Oh? It is known to you by now that this island is property of Saint MacMharais, is it not, meep?" "Like hell it does," Veno spat, "I ain't lettin' a guy like that rule over me!" Merchant hummed. Large streaks of spiked roots surfaced instantly from the waters beneath Veno, sweeping at him with vigorous speed and power. With little time to react, he was shredded plainly and sent toppling backward, blood spewing from his arms and legs. "A Devil Fruit eater," Veno pondered aloud, bringing himself to recover from the previous assault. He stepped onto the water like it was a solid pavement, only to be met by an endless throttle of roots and weeds that estranged him, twirling around his limbs to constrict his movements. The man who had been capable of pushing back an entire ship was unable to tear apart simple plants. "What the fuckin' hell-" the last thing Veno saw were spores falling into place before him. His eyes betrayed him, and before he knew it, he fell into a deep slumber. ---- "After that, he was sent by ship in the direction of Impel Down, meep. I later received notice that he somehow managed to not only pry himself of his prison, but sink the very ship that was meant to transport him. And so began his trifling as a pirate." Merchant scraped his chin against the surface of the window panel. "Pray Kairō is able to rescue your career." With that, the Maverick vanished into thin air. Highlands Docked along the shore of an unfamiliar island, the Nimbus' sails hailed glory to the Public Enemy, who, despite his recent diagnosis of potential lung cancer, paid no dividends; as a matter of fact, three fat cigars were held between his lips, even now. Since its last encounters about the sea, the ship had gone through some very necessary repairs, including one very nifty addition: it now sported wings, and were it not for such a festivity, the ship would have most certainly not made it onto the island. "Welcome," Veno began, leading the members of his crew onto the island, "to Nassau." A plain vegetated mass of land it was, springing with little means of interest. That is, until the cry of a savage beast was heard in the distance, emanating from the island's jungles themselves. "We're within the calm belts of the fuckin' New World," he spat again, taking a moment to puff his cigars before continuing, "without them wings on the Nimbus, we'd have been swallowed whole by Urthuros." Urthuros? The crew likely had no idea what in the world their captain was talking about now. He was probably high. Based on the size of those cigars... yep, most definitely high. "There's a fuckin' Sea King 'round here that don't let no one enter the island. It's a real pisser; the first time I swam here on my own, it gave me a real stern up the ass." He shook his head plainly, smoke pouring from his mouth and nose. "Anyway, this is what I was tellin' ye about. From this day forward, this island will be our new home; here, we can live in peace without them pests of the World Gov' comin' flyin' 'round our business." Veno began to walk forward yet again, then stopped suddenly. "...Just, keep in mind we're sharin' the place with a bunch of naked elves. If ye see one, run, don't fight." With that said, the Public Enemy began to lead his crew through the jungles of Nassau. Erin marveled at the beauty of the place. Tropical islands were everywhere in the world but nothing he'd seen quite compared to this. He looked back at his ship one last time as they moved farther and farther away. With the wings Veno added their ship could fly with his help. "Damn Veno this place is stunning." Erin laughed as he walked beside his captain. "Wait there's sea kings here? Can I hunt some, I got a friend who loves em." Erin stated, patting the flute clipped to his belt. They continued along the route until Veno stopped. He then warned them about some sort of naked elves. "Wait what? Are they dangerous or something? Are they gonna go after my ship?" He questioned. As if on cue, members of the elven tribe emerged from behind shrubs and bushes, longing to cling with their nudity to the monstrosity with the emerald mane. "Fuckin' 'ell, do it with them, not me!" Immediately pardoned, the naked elves, being of both genders, swarmed around the rest of his crewmates. This was definitely going to take some time to get used to. Veno's cough returned in full, tainting the nearby tall grass with blood. He ignored it, however, as he did most of his troubles. "Help yerselves if ye please. All these guys do is fuck 'round with each other. I couldn't give any less of a shit either way." Yosef, the crew's bespectacled Doctor, had retained relatively silent in this new discovery. He couldn't help but focus on the coughing and smoking of his Captain, clenching his fists in silence. He observed the elves, but refused to acquaint himself with them, making his peace as he simply thought in silence. Veno continued through the jungle until reaching the end of a cliff, over which a large clearing was visible. Large bulks of floating clouds were seen all around, many assorted near one another in a manner not unlike a staircase. "This is the dawn of a free world," he proudly exclaimed, his hands curling into fists at his side, "and I promise I won't let nothin' get in the way of it." The green haired man turned abruptly to his crew. He studied the each of them for a long moment. "A storm is approachin'. By way of sayin', it's time we make things around 'ere a bit more... official." Smoke poured from his mouth. "Yosef, I don't know what it is about ye, but ever since ye came 'round, nothin' but success has followed. From this day forward, I'm appointin' ye as this crew's First Mate." Complete silence followed the captain's words. The lower ranking members of the crew couldn't help but disagree more within the back of their minds. They had always thought of Erin as the captain's right-hand man --how had things escalated so far beyond that point? Certainly there had to have been a mistake. This newcomer, Yosef... how could the captain trust him so much already? "Erin, ye'll be the Second Mate, and Luhr, yer the Third." More smoke. Another series of coughs. "I don't think I need any more than three fuckin' mates on this ship, so that'll be it." Without another formal indication, Veno began to walk off yet again, back toward the ship. "It ain't in my interest to 'ide anythin' from ye, but things'll make more sense in the coming days. There're still things I need accomplished before we can get started on things over 'ere. Erin, ye'll tag along with me to fetch a few more supplies I'll be needin', and Yousef, I'm leavin' ya in charge 'round 'ere 'till I get back." As Veno continued to walk, he did something most peculiar. Something that no other person, not even those amongst his crew, had ever seen before. Pressing his thumb against his left forearm, he clicked open a compartment. In a literal sense, his flesh rose for a brief moment, and the void beneath was where he began to store rounds of bullets that he retrieved from his pocket. "I don't got all day now, Erin. We got places ta be. Hurry the fuck up." Giving Veno a disgruntled look and Snorting in clear displeasure Luhr turns to His Captain. "While I don't fucking care about what position I have in the Crew I have to have ask Veno, Are ya Really that fucking stupid to essentially make that guy Fist Mate of the crew when he is essentially a recent walk on, just because of some luck he appearrly brings to the crew Fer all we know he could possibly be a Fucking Marine Lap-Dog. Grunted out Luhr as he glances at Yosef. Veno's veins shot ablaze as Luhr's words rang loud in his ears. When he turned around to confront his subordinate, his right arm was already black with haki. "The fuck ye say?" He swung his arm at vicious speeds toward Luhr's direction, meaning to send the Fishman flying many a ways through the jungle. "Are ye questionin' my damn authority?!" To Veno, the captain's words were absolute. They were never meant to be challenged, no matter what. He was a man who always led by example, and so, naturally, he had to make sure that Luhr knew better than to speak out against his own captain. Yosef's eyes followed his Captain's movements. They had become more sluggish than previous, as expected for someone in the midst of such a disease. He knew very well preventing this physical attack would do no more than cause further anger, which he could not afford in this instance. Aggravating Veno's symptoms is counter-intuitive to all three of Yosef's professions, so he stood still. However he knew that in order to cement his position in this crew, he had to somehow get along with the crew's entirety. So he steadily prepared himself, picking up his briefcase and awaiting for the culmination of this confrontation. Watching a Veno swung his Haki covered hat in his direction with his intent clear Luhr growled as he swung up his arm grasping the Haki covered creating a small shockwave that blew most of the crew off their feets. "Did it sound like I stuttered Veno, I'm Gonna make something straight just because I threw in my lot with ya doesn't mean I'll follow you blindly. Casting their interlocked arms aside Luhr Snorts in disgust as he notices Veno's sluggish movement. "Remember this Public Enemy, I may have decided to follow ya but I ain't gonna let a humans Stupidity get me killed." Spat Luhr as his eyes turn sharp while he bears his fanged mouth. Seeing his attack be deflected so easily only made Veno that much angrier. This had become a battle against his pride; he'd never allow himself to be degraded in front of his own men. As he inched to move a second time, however, a jolting pain emanated from his lungs to the rest of his body, and within seconds, blood was spewing from his mouth between coughs. He was no longer the same man. Not the one who had gained infamy across the seas for being a physical specimen. Not the one who had led them in battle against a Navy Admiral. Not the one who had rescued them from the depths of a Shichibukai. At this point, his skills had depleted so very much that for him, standing upright had suddenly become a challenge. Brought down to his knees from the effects of his cancer, Veno only saw one way to counter attack. He thrusted his arm forward, opening his hand so that his palm faced in Luhr's direction --the time to debut the most recent addition to his repertoire had finally arrived. In a matter of seconds, the flesh and bone of his forearm retreated into his elbow, leaving only a stub. His shoulder quaked, and, in the next ensuing moment, a metallic mechanism shot out from the stub, taking the form of a machine gun. "Rot in hell!!!" For a moment, Veno had forgotten everything. The Fishman in front of him was no longer an ally, but rather, an insignificant being who dared to challenge his authority. Whether or not he'd regret it, for now he didn't care. All he could think of was the best way to kill him. In a flash, the machine gun spun to life, releasing a countless rain of bullets that could very easily penetrate the flesh of even a Fishman many times over. Yosef's observations could no longer be kept up. His patient was dying, and if this kept up, his facade would had been for naught. His body became weightless for a moment as he charged towards the scene. His hand outstretched for the metallic apparition on Veno's hand. "Stack: Mass — Tenfold!" Within the instant of his firing, his arm had suddenly been shot towards the ground. "Captain, don't act foolish! You are in no condition to fight, and killing one of your vital crewmen is even more idiotic! Think for a moment first!" Was Erin upset, yes definitely, though he didn't show it. He was the first to join and had been a constant help in their teams endeavors, even saving them from certain doom from an admiral. However if Veno truly wished that of him them he would accept. Thought his mind still wondered why Veno would choose such a man over him. Despite Luhr's outburst he agreed with him in a way. This man had saved them sure but they knew little to nothing about him. He'd definitely get some info on him somehow. For now though more urgent matters were to be attended to Erin broke out of thought as Yosef caused Veno to crash to the ground. He should have acted faster, he could have stopped it himself. If only he wasn't in his own head. "Why do you two need to bicker about insignificant things. I'm rank two now, I'm still gonna drive the ship and I'm still gonna snipe so who gives a damn." He addressed Veno and Luhr in clam tone. He sounded perfect it was as if he truly didn't care but in his mind it was another story. "So you wanted to get some supplies captain?" Grunting out in disgust Luhr turns and walks towards the path that leads to the sea before sending a heated glare towards Yousef and Veno "I don't even know why I bothered you'd never listen to anyone other than yourself anyways Veno, but just remember when he stabs ya in the back and leaves ya for dead taking all yer fucking dreams away Just remember I was right to be suspicious, I won't abandon ya crew but don't expect me to play nice with any of ya especially Him" growled out Luhr before he walks off hopes off towards the sea in hopes of cooling himself off. Lugging his arm from the ground, Veno stood slowly to his feet and turned himself around, utterly humiliated. The one thing a captain had before his crew was respect --if he hadn't that, then what did he have? Forfeiting any further attempt at chaos, the spiritually exhausted Public Enemy began to march his way back toward the ship, without uttering a single word. The Land Before Time The Nimbus, rather appropriately, looked to have descended from the clouds themselves as it lowered onto the snow infested terrain of Karakuri. And despite the peculiarity surrounding a flying ship, it was not at all unusual in the eyes of the citizens --rather the opposite, it was entirely common, if not outdated. For the scientists of the island had accomplished far greater feats than the likes of a mere ship with wings. Snow fell all around as two members of the Veno Pirates disembarked from the Nimbus. Surprise to none, the cold weather had little to no effect on the Public Enemy as he stepped into the snow with a hard plant of his boot. A cigar, as always, was held firmly between his lips. "So this is it, eh? The famed 'Future Island'." He gave a hard stare all around. "I don't see nothin' out of the ordinary just yet. Is we not lookin' in the right place, Erin?" Erin hopped off their ship to land beside Veno, he'd felt colder wind. "Yeah it's grow a lot since I was last here." Erin responded, stretching his arm above his head. "Yeah we're here we just need to travel further. It's not like we're gonna be able to land right in front of it." The man responded. As they progressed through the island, there were many sights to beheld. Animals equipped with futuristic technology, robots living amongst humans, and most of everything appeared to be levitating in the air. Veno was, however, for the most part disinterested; for the jolting pain in his lungs kept him from enjoying much of anything. The snow beneath his feet was made red with his blood every which way he walked. There were times where the large man simply fell over, leaving large craters in the ground, and needed assistance in order to get back to his feet. While he was here to study the advancements of the famed Vegapunk, he was also here in the hopes of furthering his research on becoming a Cyborg. As much as he despised to think of it, the way his lungs were, at this point, he had very little time left to live. The only way to fix his problem --or so he thought-- was to get his lungs technologically modified. "F-fuck the b-b-blueprints," he gasped, falling over into the cold snow once more, "what I need is my goddamn lungs fixed. I.. I can't carry on... n-not like this." He lay there at the foot of the mountain, which housed the cave they were aiming to reach, groaning in pain. The man who didn't so much as yelp at being cut up by a Shichibukai and thrown through innumerable buildings was on the ground, cowering as if in defeat. Erin rushed to his captain's side, pulling his massive frame from the ground. "Dammit Veno we aren't giving up after all this. Come on you punched a fucking Admiral in the face and now you're gonna fall before your goal." Erin didn't care if Veno hated being called by his name at this point. He needed to get the hell off the ground and to the damn cave. With the help of his devil fruit Erin began pumping air through Veno's lungs and body himself. "We're getting you to that damn cave." And that was how Erin spent the next half hour of his life: gorging air through Veno's lungs to keep them momentarily cleansed, while straining himself to keep his Devil Fruit powers active enough to help him lift the monstrosity of a man that Veno was. Luckily for him, Erin at the very least had the advantage in height. Something which Veno wasn't exactly too fond of. They continued along until reaching a rather incredulous bridge, one that was charred in between, yet previously served the purpose of leading to a futuristic looking building. Without a doubt, the place they had been searching for all this time. Erin stared at the building in awe. It was still marvelous even after being abandoned for so long. "So you ready to get yourself a new body Veno?" Erin questioned. Still holding his captain upright. Soon enough he wouldn't need to manually pump his lungs and they would be back on the high seas. Before the pirates could cross the bridge, a canine stood on the other side of the bridge. Its fur was a brilliant white, blending perfectly with the snow, the only indication that it was there being its clear golden eyes, staring at the Veno Pirates, simply standing like a stiff statue. When the wind got stronger, the wolf moved, running off and following the direction of the wind, vanishing from sight. To the Veno Pirates, it would only seem like a predator hunting for its next meal, but the wolf that glared at them was the Admiral, Alfred Glave, in his complete Zoan form, getting a good look at the enemy forces before he would attack. Veno blinked hard at the sudden sighting of the wolf. Was he seeing things? His health had deteriorated to such an extent that he really wasn't sure of himself anymore. Most certainly not the way he was in times past. His vision struggled in and out of focus, his head hanging low as Erin pulled him into a stand. Every time he saw a wolf or anything close to it, he was reminded of Bernard. And when he was reminded of Bernard, he was reminded of that day. That awful day. Between catching his breath, Veno spoke out to his subordinate. "D-did you s-s-see that?" he stuttered, "th-that wolf... did you see that wolf?" From within the woods, Glave still wondered around, using the white snow as fitting camouflage, using Soru in his wolf form to quickly move around, arriving behind the pirates, hiding among the withering trees. His footsteps were barely heard from the soft snow he stepped on, yet he had a clear view on the pirates. Suddenly, a rabbit popped from a hiding spot, attempting to escape Glave, and at that moment, Glave, still in his complete wolf form, rushed at the rabbit, sinking his fangs into it, wailing the creature around, releasing it from his fangs, tossing it against a nearby rock. While he revealed himself to the pirates, Glave kept the ruse of just being a predator looking for its next meal. turning his back to the Veno Pirates as he carried the rabbit in his mouth, turning once more to stare at the pirates once last time before walking away. The closer inspection gave him a better idea of what he's up against. Category:Role-Plays